Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” began its life, in 1984’s “Various Positions,” as a profoundly weird song with gospel choir accompaniment, a painfully-of-its-era drum machine and a stentorian and unemotive delivery from the poet himself. But you don’t really care for that music, do you? For many, the template for all covers of Cohen’s initially unremarked ballad…
Last week, President Donald Trump called for churches, synagogues and mosques to reopen. In a press conference, the president said, “In America we need more prayer, not less.” As a congregational rabbi, I can affirm that so many in my community are missing the ability to sing together, catch up in our hallways, hug people…
A vendor on the e-commerce site Etsy wanted to sell facemasks that said “NYC Strong” in Yiddish – but the final product said “NYC Crotch” instead. The vendor Tees Go Bling, based in Wyoming, offers dozens of glittery facemask designs for sale, including images of the American flag and the Disney logo, as well as…
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Commercial flights will not resume to Israel until mid-July at the earliest, according to the head of Ben Gurion Airport. Shmuel Zakaim, the airport’s managing director, told the Israeli news website Ynet that even when the flights eventually restart, the number of departing planes will remain low for now. “Social distancing regulations at…
Read this article in Yiddish. One of the hardest things for me to get used to during this pandemic has been not being able to go to shul on shabbos or to have friends and fellow synagogue members over for a homemade meal afterwards. Not only has this deprived me of trying out new recipes…
(JTA) — Lawmakers from two House committees used Memorial Day weekend to call for the removal of gravestones from a military cemetery that are inscribed with Nazi symbols and sentiments. The four lawmakers sent the bipartisan request to Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie in a letter Sunday. Two tombstones among 140 for World War II…
When my grandfather passed away from COVID-19 on April 24, I thought we might only have ten men, for an Orthodox Jewish prayer quorum, at his graveside funeral. I was wrong. Only his wife, his three sons and the synagogue’s rabbi could see him off. After 22 years of memories with him, I had to…
Editor’s Note: The Forward is featuring essays, poems and short stories written for our Young Writers Contest. Today’s entry was written by Victoria Y.T. Nealey, a 13-year-old student at the Brandeis School of San Francisco. You can find more work from our young writers here WHAT IT MEANS TO BE FREE you you are the…
The COVID-19 pandemic has rapidly and painfully transformed almost all facets of American life. The way we live, work, and connect with others have all been disrupted, in some cases by social distancing, and in others by loss. There is good news, though: New data shows that the coronavirus has not altered the resolve of…
The umbrella organization that serves the 850 synagogues of the Reform movement, the nation’s largest Jewish denomination is laying off about 20% of its staff, in addition to furloughs. The Union for Reform Judaism made the announcement after it decided amid the coronavirus pandemic to close all of its summer camps, forfeiting its single largest…
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